Jack Catterall (29-1, 13 KOs) wants a title shot next against WBO light welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez after his 12-round unanimous decision win over former undisputed champ Josh Taylor (19-2, 13 KOs) on Saturday night in Leeds, England.
Catterall defeated the former undisputed light welterweight champion Taylor by the scores 117-111, 117-111 and 116-113.
Teofimo (20-1, 13 KOs) already has a fight scheduled against Steve Claggett on June 29th. Since the #6 WBO ranked Catterall isn’t the mandatory challenger for Teofimo’s WBO 140-lb belt, he’s not in the position to force a title shot.
Arum’s Potential Roadblock
After the way, Josh Taylor’s promoter Bob Arum went into meltdown after tonight’s scores were revealed, saying he’ll never bring any of his American fighters to the UK after this, he might not be willing to allow Catterall to fight Teofimo. He promotes him as well.
The only way Arum might be interested in a fight involving Catterall fighting Teofimo is if he comes over to the U.S and fights in New York. If that happens, it could be difficult for Catterall to win a decision. Teofimo is a much different fighter than Taylor.
He punches harder and has better accuracy, and it would be a lot harder for Catterall to win a decision using the tactics that he employed tonight to defeat Taylor. Clinching and jabbing won’t be enough to beat Teofimo. He’ll figure that out quickly and put hands on Catterall.
“I was mandatory for the WBO title for what felt like a lifetime. He beat Taylor before I did. We both had a win over him,” said Jack Catterall at the post-fight press conference tonight when asked why he wants to fight WBO light welterweight champion Teofimo Lopez for his title.
“I want to prove that I’m better than him. I believe I’ve got the style to beat Lopez, and that’s the fight I want,” said Catterall.
Hearn’s Preference: A Trilogy with Taylor
Hearn’s comments after the fight suggests that he believes the best direction to go in for Catterall would be to fight a trilogy match with Taylor because it’s one that will sell. The only problem is Arum might want the rematch to be in Scotland or the U.S to ensure that the scoring is fair.
“When it’s 1-1, as a promoter, a rubber match, especially after a night like that is absolutely huge, but it’s going to be up to Jack,” said promoter Eddie Hearn to iFL TV when asked who does Catterall fight next.
“We got to look at the money. We got to look at the opportunities. We got to look at what’s there in terms of world title shots as well, and see what the next step is. But a massive win for his career tonight,” said Hearn about Catterall.
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